- Cairns Taipans’ match with Sydney Kings was hit by chaos
- Basketball game was impacted by power issues
- They had to play without a shot clock and air con
There were chaotic scenes in the NBL on Thursday night as a ‘power issue’ saw players complete a match without a shot clock or air con in sweltering conditions.
Cairns’ game against reigning champions the Kings was halted for nearly an hour after an apparent power failure at Cairns Convention Centre moments before the start of the second half.
Crews frantically worked to fix the issue but as the delay wore on, the teams made a genlemen’s agreement to play without a shot clock and act accordingly within the ‘spirit of the game’.
The power issue also meant the teams had to complete the game in searing humidity. Former Opals star and ESPN commentator Alice Kunek was visibly sweating while reporting from the sideline.
‘We’ve had a whole lot of power challenges tonight,’ NBL CEO Dave Stevenson said during the delay.
There were chaotic scenes in Cairns as an NBL match was interrupted by a power issue
The shot clock stopped working before the second half while there was no air condition
The sweltering conditions were tough to take with Alice Kunek visibly sweating
After a delay of nearly an hour, the teams agreed to play without a shot clock
The Kings went on to claim victory in a prolonged affair in Queensland
‘It looks like a circuit breaker has gone, so they’re working their way through that.
‘We’re actually got a little bit of an innovative model, we’re going to try and put a camera on a laptop screen that will give us a shot clock and a timer and get that up on the big scoreboard.
‘Then at least the players will know how much time is left.’
That solution was not needed in the end, with both teams agreeing to resume without a shot clock.
It was an embarrassing sequence of events for Stevenson, who was hosting NBA scouts at the game.
Kings coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah said it was a new experience for him.
‘I’ve never been a part of anything like this, but we just have to go with the flow,’ Abdelfattah said.
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